Utah mom who delayed cancer treatment in effort to save unborn son dies

This photo shows Kathy Taylor returning home with her children and husband Nate.
(Taylor family photo. )

A Utah mother of six who delayed cancer treatment in an effort to save her unborn child died at her home Wednesday, after initially being told in October that she had just 24 to 36 hours to live.

Kathy Taylor, 33, had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of melanoma that had spread throughout her body when she was pregnant with her youngest son, Luke Tazelaar Taylor. Kathy fought to prolong the pregnancy, but was forced to prematurely deliver Luke on Sept. 11, 2014. He was born weighing 1 pound 15 ounces, and later died of an intestinal infection on Sept. 27.

After the delivery, doctors at the Huntsman Cancer Institute told Kathy’s husband Nate, and their five older children, to prepare to say their final goodbyes to her as she was treated in the intensive care unit.

However, Kathy defied the odds and began responding to treatment, eventually feeling well enough to return home on Sept. 25. The family chronicled their journey through a blog, “Kathy’s Miracle – Believe.”

A post from Nate informed the family’s followers of Kath’s death on Dec. 31.

“Today around 4 pm my cherished wife passed away,” he wrote.

“As I realized that she had gone I gathered her in my arms and embraced her. I could not believe it. I was so sad that I had been asleep and not been with her when she passed. I was so sad it was already goodbye. I realized their [sic] was nothing I could do,” Nate wrote.

In a Dec. 24 post on the family’s blog, Kathy wrote of being in pain and “getting worse.”

“I have been trying to hang on till Christmas and have hoped my family could enjoy Christmas with their mom. I have to admit it has been extremely hard to continue to be kind and nurturing to my family till the end and I’ve been praying to not be afraid of what the end will look like,” Kathy wrote.

Kathy had previously spoken to FoxNews.com and said that she was taking one day at a time with her family.

Of her children, she told FoxNews.com, “They love me dearly, I’ll do what I can to stay here for them.”